All repairs to the drain pipe and drawdown structures at Horsehead Lake have been completed. Crisp Industries of Bridgeport, Texas, submitted the low bid ($62,250) for the project.

The lake is now in the process of refilling. Fish will be stocked as soon as there is enough water to access the lake from the boat ramp.

Catchable channel catfish will provide fishing opportunities until the fingerling size bass, bream and crappie which will be stocked next spring are large enough to harvest. Fish stocked next spring should be large enough to harvest in 3-4 years, but sometimes in “new or renovated” lakes the fish grow much faster. Additional fish structure will be added as time permits.

The renovation consisted of inserting a 320-foot, 18-inch outside diameter, HDPE pipe into the existing 24-inch outlet pipe and grouting around inserted pipe, filling drawdown tower with concrete and cutting tower off at ground level. The new HDPE pipe had a wafer-style knife gate valve attached to the downstream end so that the gate can be opened below the dam. The control valve is enclosed in a steel locked box.

Master Made Concrete with headquarters in Carbon City supplied the grout and concrete for the project. Equipment was rented from Alma Tractor Supply. Crisp Industries provided supervision, equipment and labor for all concrete work, steel box placement and removal of old drawdown tower.

The lake bottom was sown earlier with sorghum-sudan grass and later sown with winter wheat. This vegetation will increase the fertility and provide more food for the fish after it becomes inundated with water and begins to rot producing animal plankton (zooplankton) which is utilized by sportfish as they develop.

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) Fisheries personnel constructed and placed fish structures in seven locations and were located using GPS. Those locations will be available on the AGFC website for future fisherman use.

An additional structure has been placed near access areas on the east side of the lake which will be usable by bank and boat fishermen. Large tree stumps which caused boating hazards were cut off four feet below normal water level.

The concrete boat ramp was extended 20 feet. The access area at the boat launching area was improved by deepening the shoreline allowing easier boat docking, cutting shoreline trees to allow more bank fishing area and placement of fish structure within casting distance.

One access was improved by removing six smaller pine trees making for easier access to campers and fishermen. The access area improvements were funded with Marine Fuel Tax monies.

Agricultural limestone (235 tons) purchased from Davis-Sikes Feed Mill in Scranton was hauled and dumped in five locations. The spreading of the lime along the shoreline and in the lake bottom and the access improvements were done by Robbie Berg Construction of Greenwood.